On December 7, 1941, Japanese planes bombed the United States naval fleet
stationed at Pearl Harbor. By the next day the country was at war. Twenty three
years earlier the country had also engaged in a world war; one result then was
national prohibition. On December 8, the brewing industry faced the dilemma
of being active patriotic participants in the national war effort while fighting off
any attempts to reinstate prohibition.

As early as 1939, the country had begun to be on a war footing and President
Roosevelt created several agencies to deal with impending economic mobilization. A few of them, including the Office of Production Management, the Office
of Price Administration and Civilian Supply, and the Supply Priorities and Allocations Board, had the potential to affect the brewing industry as well as other
industries. The brewers had become accustomed to a myriad of bureaucracies
during Repeal, and the war would not change that.379

The tax on beer increased prior to the United States entry into the war. On
July 1, 1940 a $1.00 tax increase became effective; the rate became $6.00 a barrel (31 gallons). Brewers had every reason to believe that taxes would double if
America went to war.380 The recently reunified brewers had practice being useful,
loyal participants in a war effort. They had been doing that since 1862, and only
wished to be able to do it again, if necessary.

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